Credits
AMBER ASHES
THE END
By G. M. Blackjack
Starring
Hope as Enchantress Rarity Ponsia
Amber as Empress Twilight Sparkle
Scribble as Pinkie D Acorn
Aegis as Fluttershy, Goddess of Battle
Rainbow Dash as Never Changing Her Name
The Blue Bolt as Rainbow Dash, Fastest Thief Alive
Applejack as The Hero
Scarcity as Starcrossed Destroyer
Glimmer as Walking Mental Issues
Rx'len as The Gardener
Unity as Big Sister is Sorta Watching
Quasar as HE'S A DRAGON MADE OUT OF STARS THAT'S WICKED AWESOME
Hazel Acorn as The Loving Husband
Red Riot and Red Rage as Battle Twins!
Temple Brick as The Confused Priest
Nod as Nondescript Darkness
Jupiter as King of the Abandoning Gods
Uranus as Temporal Shenanigans
Blueberry as Over-Stressed Manager
Dust as Are You Sure She's Not A Pinkie?
Auburn as Thief of Thieves
The Moon as Do You Like Bananas?
Shine as Oh Yeah, He was a Bad Guy
Renee as Overhead of Expeditions
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro.
Special thanks to the commenters, as always, including FanOfMosteverything, Golden 123123123, Neece, Avendrial, Keybounce, Crack-Fic Kai, Black Hoof, Undeadking243, and Quinch
Some of you may already know this, but Amber Ashes exists for a reason: people have said that Songs of the Spheres, my magnum opus of a story, is just TOO BIG to recommend to people. So Amber Ashes was created to use a lot of the major themes and ideas in Songs of the Spheres without a million words of buildup. My hope is, if you enjoyed this story, you'll be willing to check out something much larger that goes into a lot more detail about the multiverse, how stories play into reality, and how a bunch of adventuring ponies can slowly become the central part of a massive multiversal nation.
And for those of you who have already read Songs of the Spheres, you can use this as an introduction to the ideas in SotS. In fact, I actually recommend reading Amber Ashes first. It spoils a few things about the Starcross Society, but it also lets people know what to expect further down the line. This story was, and was always intended to be, a self-contained introduction.
But it stands on its own. If you want to leave it here, by all means. Amber Ashes is complete.
However, there is so much more story to be told...
-GM, master of the Multiverse
PS: And yes, I did edit Hope into two scenes in Songs of the Spheres, both of which are published. I wonder if you can tell me where they are?
~~~
Many years later…
Hope set her teacup down. "So... Question."
Renee looked up from her drink. "Hmm?"
"How did this all start? You don't just become a multiversal nation overnight."
"Well, sometimes it sure feels like we did..." Renee giggled. "Oh, where to start... my story, the story of the Merodi, or Evening's? The day the bowling ball fell into our lap, or the Starcross Society itself and... My word, there are a lot of events that led us here, it's hard to say where it began!"
"Well... what do you consider the start of your story?"
Renee smirked and adjusted her glasses. "I guess we'll jump a bit back from the bowling ball and the multiverse... To the opening of the book. After all, you aren't from a baseline Equestria, you probably do need to hear it, and it will be great to relive the old days." She cleared her throat. "A long time ago, in the magical land of Equestria..."
Hope situated herself and prepared to listen to a long, long story about Friendship, magic, evil, and eventually more universes than her mind could possibly keep track of...